Mulberry handbag was shoplifted Tenovus shop in Rhiwbina on Saturday August 9

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Donations have come flooding in to a Cardiff charity shop following the theft of a designer bag at the weekend.

A thief made off with a Mulberry bag from the Tenovus shop in Rhiwbina at around lunchtime on Saturday.

Tenovus Retail Area Manager Sue Hayes said that the bag, which Tenovus were selling for £100, could have funded three hours of counselling for cancer sufferers.

Following a flurry of activity on social media commenting on the story on WalesOnline, two local businesses have offered £100 each in donations.

Sue said, “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received following this story. Not just from the local community but the messages we’ve had on social media have been extremely heart-warming too.

“We were so grateful when two local businesses, Tree Control and Haus Cardiff, tweeted us saying that they would both be donating £100 to cover the cost of the bag and Cllr Jayne Cowan, who helped get the word out initially, has also agreed to a fundraising coffee morning for us.

“Every single day in Wales, 52 people are told they have cancer and it’s generosity like this from the community that means we can continue to be there for cancer patients and their families, wherever and whenever they need us most.”

Jayne Cowan reiterated the gratitude of the charity, adding, “Rhiwbina is a very special community. It really does rally around in times of trouble particularly. It’s very close knit and people look out for each other, and this just shows the strength of feeling towards the charity sector particularly.”

A high-end label, Mulberry bags are priced in the hundreds when new, and models like the one which was stolen are currently selling for around £140 on auction site Ebay.

The bag was originally pictured in a tweet on Thursday sent by Tenovus Retail Area Manager Sue Hayes, saying: “What a find in Rhiwbina Tenovus shop!”, and Jayne said she hoped the thief hadn’t been monitoring social media.

Tenovus is this year’s Cardiff Lord Mayor’s charity. The Lord Mayor Councillor Margaret Jones said: “I am very saddened to hear of the theft of a valuable handbag from the Rhiwbina Tenovus shop.

“Someone has generously donated this item in the hope that the charity who work so hard for people with cancer would make some money to help carry on the valuable work that they do.

“I hope that whoever has taken the item – it may have been taken mistakenly – will return it to another Tenovus shop.”

Tenovus are always looking for more donations of stock to their shops across Wales. To find your nearest Tenovus shop and read about upcoming fundraisers including a pamper day at Rhiwbina’s Vanity Rooms and Spa on Sunday August 31, visit tenovus.org.uk or find them on Twitter @tenovuscancer.